LSC-O Quiz Bowl team to compete against Ivy League schools

The Lamar State College-Orange Quiz Bowl team wrapped up their last practice of the season on April 5, in preparation for their trip to Chicago this week to compete in the NAQT Intercollegiate Championship Tournament in Chicago (April 12 and 13). The team was invited to the tournament in March, after they placed third in the NAQT Community College Championship Tournament with a 9-2 win/loss record. At this tournament, however, the team will be competing against four-year universities from all over the United States, including Ivy League schools.

The Quiz Bowl team consists of veteran members Shane Marburger, Jefffree Hoke (team captain), and new members, Sarah Leger, Jerad Jurgensmier, and Jacob Gorton. In order to prepare for their meets, the team meets twice a week and spends hours reviewing random topics, ranging from math and science to current events.

“Getting to this tournament is a stunning achievement,” said Quiz Bowl sponsor, Eric Owens. “Any win that we have will be phenomenal for us, because these guys have worked so hard to get to this point.”

As the last tournament of their LSC-O career, Marburger, Hoke, Gorton, and Leger will be moving on after Chicago, leaving Jurgensmier to keep the winning tradition of the LSC-O Quiz Bowl team alive.

“It’s an honor to go and to be able to compete against top Ivy League schools for academics,” said Jurgensmier. “These are some of the smartest minds in the world, and we qualified to compete against them by winning in these past tournaments, fair and square.”

All of the team members bring a different strength to the team, and their strategy is that they divide up quiz categories between members to cover the widest range of topics.

“I’m glad we all know so much about different things,” said Hoke. “It has been an honor to have been on this team.”